Apparatus fob sepabatino hydeocabbons



Feb. 16

W. C. AVERILL, JR

APPARATUS FOR I SEPARATING HYDROCARBONS Filed Oct. 7, 1922 INVENTOR. W. UHvER/L 4,..JF.

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Patented Feb. 16, 1926.

UNITED STATES WILLARD C. AVERILL, JR., 0]? HOUSTON, TEXAS.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING HYDROCARBONS.

Application filed 0etober 7, 1922. Serial No. 593,0 84.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD C. 'AVERILL, J12, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Houston, county of Harris, State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Hydrocarbons, of which the following is a description.

One object of my invention is to obtain a clean separation of low boiling hydrocar bons from high boiling hydrocarbons both economically and rapidly.

A second object of my invention is to obtain an additional refining of the low boiling hydrocarbons simultaneously with their separation from the high boiling hydrocarbons.

The novel features of my apparatus are pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, with further objects and advantages,

will best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which- The figure is a schematic representation, partly in section, somewhat diagrammatical, of an apparatus arranged'according to my invention.

In the drawing 1 indicates a still into which crude petroleum or like oil is introduced by pump 1, through pipe 1". Preferably the pipe .1 is coiled within the still below-the oil level therein so that the incoming oil is heated approximately to the temperature of the oil in the still before being discharged from the pipe. The oil is supplied from pipe 1 into pans 2 under pressure sufiicient to prevent the water in the oil changing into steam within the pipe 1. The upper portion of the pipe 1 is perforated as indicated and the water consequently suddenly vaporizes into steam above the pans 2, thereby atomizing the oil, and assisting in the liberation of gasoline and like low boiling ingredients of thehydrocarbon being distilled. Separation of steam and light hydrocarbons from heavy hydrocarbons is further promoted by the pans 2 into which the unvaporized hydrocarbons fall from the pipe 1 K and from which they continue to overflow from one to the other until they unite with the body of liquid in the lower part of the still.

Vapors of the hydrocarbons of the desired specific gravity and above a definite vaporization point being distilled off, to-

gether with water vapor, pass out of the still 1 through a large-upwardly inclined pipe 3 which delivers the vapors into a tower-like dephlegmator 4, which may be packed with any suitable material, broken coke, brick, stone ware, or the like answering the purpose. In practice, I have found it desirable to use a plurality of small iron pipe sections4 arranged within thedephlegmator as shown. A portion of the hydrocarbon vapor condenses in tower 4 and drops to the bottom of the tower accompanied by some water. At the bottom of the tower 4 is a water draw-off leg 5 with an automatic drain trap 5 having vent 5", drain 5" acting to allow the .water to be discharged continuously. From the top of the oraw-ofi' leg 5, where the entrapped liquid hydrocarbons float a pipe 6 leads off to circulating pump '6 which pumps the hydrocarbon condensate through spray 7 at the'top of the.

tower 4. This condensate then comes into contact with the ascending vapors and has the effect of removing from these vapors a large portion of the high boiling oils or heav ends. This operation is continuous and by oil is exposed many times to the ascending vapors and an excellent separation of high boiling point material or heavy ends from low boiling point material or lighter ends is obtained.

This feature of my improved apparatus is particularly important and isa new departure from the prior practice in refining hydrocarbons. Heretofore, the practice has been to allow the condensate to come into contact with the rising vapors to collect the heavy ends so that they may be returned to the still. On the contrary in my apparatus thevapors from the still ass through the falling condensate repeate, ly afterseparation from the water so that when the vapors have the upper portion of the dep-hle mator 4, they carry substantially all of the ighter hydrocarbons which the original oil contained. This has been found-to increase the production of gasolene obtained from Mexican oils by approximately 50 per cent.

'Uncondens'ed vapors are, led off from the upper part of tower 4 and delivered into the lower part of a second tower 8 by means of pipe 8. Tower 8 is also referably packed with material inert to t e hydrocarbon and steam vapors, suc'has that men'- means of the circulating pump the 4 tioned in connection with tower 4. From the lower part of tower 8,. a pipe leads back to the lower part of tower 4, this plpe .9 inclining downwardly from tower 8 to tower 4 whereby condensed hydrocarbons- 6 are back trapped through pipe 9 to tower 4.

The condensate from tower 8 is then circulated through the tower 4 by pump 6 along with the condensate from tower 4. Tower 8fmay also have a spray 10 in its upper 10 portion whereby water is introduced at the top of tower 8 for regulating the temperature.- Water is removed from the bottom of tower 8 through draw-off leg 11 and overflow Hydrocarbon or oil vapors are removed from the upper part of tower 8 through plpe 12 and may be condensed in a condenser 13.

By regulating the speed of the circulatlng pump 6 and assuming a substantially constant water temperature, the amount of water supplied through sprayer 10, a distillate of any desired end point results.

The very heavy condensates which are separated out flow back through vapor l ne or pipe 3 to the still, the pipe 3 being 1nclined downwardlyfrom the tower to the still in order to permit the heavy liquid to thus flow back.

High boiling liquid residue is removed from still 1 through pipe 14, having yent 1.4, the pump 15 drawing off the liquid it is -desired to remove through pipe 14.

The effect of my invention is that a very excellent separation of gasoline is obtained atone operation, whereas ordinarily two d1stillations are necessary. I am thus able to save the expense and material losses which naturally result from two distillations as compared with one. My invention is also applicable to either light or heavypils, and any desired out can be obtained, with sharp separation, as indicated above.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention and the preferred method of operating the same, I do not wish to be limited to details of construction, arrangement or operation herepipe 11*, this pipe having a vent.

in disclosed, except in so far as such details are essential to the novelty of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. A petroleum distilling and refining apparatus comprising in combination, a still, a dephlegmator, a vapor line connecting said still with thelower portion of said dephlegmator, a draw-off and waterseparator connected with the lower end of said dephlegmator, means for withdrawing condensate from said separator and spraying the. same into the upper part of said dephlegmator, and means for withdrawing vapor from the upper portion of said dephlegmator.

2. A petroleum distilling and refining apparatus comprising in combination, a still, a dephlegmator, a vapor pipe connecting said still with a point near the bottom of said 'dephlegmator, said pipe being down- .wardly inclined to provide a return of the condensate above a definite level, a draw-oil and water separator connected with the lower end of said dephlegmator, means for withdrawing condensate from said separator and spraying the same into the upper part of said dephlegmator, and means for Withdrawing vapor from the upper part of said dephlegmator,

3. A petroleum distilling and refinin apparatus comprising in combination, a s ill, a

.dephlegmator, a vapor line connecting said bon condensate from the second tower to the dephlegmator and a vapor condenser connected with the second tower.

' WILLARD o. AVERILL, JR. 

